Best self-defense ammunition for my specific type of handgun?

Earlier I posted a poll for the best self-defense ammo for handguns. A lot of people said that it really depends on your type of handgun, so I decided that it was best to start a different thread since that last one was a poll for handguns in general.

When I picked it up from the store quite some time ago (using them as my transfer since I got it from gunbroker.com), I saw both Federal Hydra-Shok and Speer Gold Dot. I didn't know which one to buy at the time, so I just decided to buy the Hydra-Shok 135 grain. However, I don't know if it would be better to switch to Gold Dot or some other type or stay with what I've got. As far as regular shooting practice goes, I use those $15 for 100 rounds of 9mm Winchester FMJ boxes you buy at Walmart. Since the Hydra-Shok and the Speer Dot are $20 for 20 rounds, that would get quite expensive if I tried shooting 100 rounds of both to see what works best in my XD ($200 about). Shooting 20 rounds of both ($40) also doesn't sound like it would be enough rounds to honestly tell me which is better as far as ammunition goes. Even if I shot 100 rounds of both the expensive stuff, would that even give me an idea if one jams more than the other in my type of handgun? I've heard that it takes hundreds and hundreds of rounds before there's any type of jam? Even with the cheap Winchesters that I practice with, I've never had any jamming. What's the best way to find out which expensive personal defense round is better for my gun without having to spend hundreds of dollars?

And does anyone know what type of personal defense rounds work best for a Springfield XD-9 sub-compact, and at the same time would be towards the top in effective self-defense attributes?

Unfortunately you will have to spend some $$$ to figure out what works best.
I would try to look online or at gun shows to find better deals on ammo.20 round boxes are a ripoff!
There is a seller on Gunbroker selling 124+P Gold Dots for around $250 per case (1000)rounds..that is cheap(he also sells them in smaller quanities for a very good price).as an example.

BTW I used 124 grain federal hst in my XD-9 subcompact before I traded it.

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